A victim of the Nazi purge on “degenerate art”,
Franz Schreker can be categorised as a late-romantic composer
whose expressionism put him beyond acceptability in later life.
In fact his operas are hardly radical and Der Ferne Klang
need have no fears for anyone who admires Richard Strauss’s
works in the genre. This opera was first performed in Frankfurt
in 1912, and was the event which catapulted Schreker into the
front rank of composers in his time, and he was almost immediately
was appointed as a teacher at the Vienna Academy of Music. Summed
up all too simply, the plot of Der ferne Klang or, ‘the
distant sound’ is one which involves an artist, Fritz,
who abandons his fiancé to go in search this phenomenon,
which he believes will allow him to produce the perfect work
of art. Each of the three acts takes us many years into Fritz’s
life of gradually increasing desolation, and he eventually dies,
finally hearing “Der ferne Klang” while on his deathbed.

This recording has been put together from live performances
given in the Augsburg Opera House in the spring of 2010, and
as far as I can tell is the only recording available in SACD
format. I seem to remember reading about some drama about the
production itself, with director Nicholas Broadhurst having
to withdraw just after the commencement of rehearsals, his place
being taken by Renate Ackermann. There are in fact very few
complete recordings of Der ferne Klang around but all
seem excellent. Mathias Schulz has already appeared in the role
of Fritz in a recording with Leon Botstein and the American
Symphony Orchestra as an Amazon.com download which I haven’t
heard. The Naxos recording conducted by Michael Halász
(see review)
has a very strong cast and is very fine indeed. The Capriccio
label also had an excellent recording under Gerd Albrecht, 60
024-2, but this now appears to be out of print, though is worth
tracking down for its dramatic production, glossy orchestra
and intriguingly managed off-stage effects in the first act.
Neither of these is last two is ‘live’, but while
this Ars recording is subject to one or two stage bumps and
the characters moving about on stage, this is actually an aspect
of the production which is quite appealing, especially in surround-sound.
The 5.1 recording really gives the feeling of being in amongst
the action, almost like being a prompt at the front of the stage
but in a good spot to hear the orchestra properly at the same
time. There are a few moments where the solo voices drift ‘off’
a little, but this is a small price to pay for such vivacity.
The photos give a fair impression of the sets and action, but
any proper judgement on that kind of thing has to be reserved
for any DVD release which may be in the pipeline. The booklet
provides the entire libretto but only in German, and has very
full commentary on Schreker and his opera, including some subjective
but well researched ‘sketches’ by Ulrike Kienzle.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this opera, and can imagine myself
coming back to it in the same way I frequently dip into the
operas of Janáček. The story goes against much of
what makes romantic opera tick: there is no wicked enemy or
much in the way of passionate rivalries, but the shimmering,
at times almost luminous aural picture carries everything into
a world of atmosphere and personal strife. Schreker’s
romantic idiom is easy to appreciate and, while he doesn’t
go in for impressive set pieces or big tunes you can take out
with you onto the street, his colorful orchestration and frequent
moment of luxurious harmony means there is never a dull moment,
and the pacing and content of the story is believable, the characters
and their foibles almost credible. Mathias Schulz is very strong
as the central Fritz, as is Sally du Randt as his love interest
Grete. The off-stage choral effects are well presented; the
orchestra very full sounding even in the relatively confined
opera house environment, and there are some lovely touches,
such as the prominent cimbalom part for the ‘Zigeuner’
music early on. The effect of the final climax is pretty overwhelming,
the subsequent apotheosis very moving indeed.

Franz Schreker’s Der ferne Klang may not be performed
all that often, but it makes an impression when it is: my mate
Graham of Leeds still raves about an Opera North production
from about 20 years ago. All in all this can be counted as a
very welcome, indeed significant addition to the operatic record
catalogue. Yes, Gerd Albrecht’s Capriccio recording with
the distinctive voice of Thomas Moser with Gabriele Schnaut
is more emphatically acted and ultimately perhaps makes a more
dramatic impact, but since this is unavailable it can’t
be counted as competition. The refinement of Michael Halász’s
Naxos recording, originally on the Marco Polo label, is very
good, but the central character played by Thomas Harper has
less oomph than Mathias Schulz, though Elena Grigorescu makes
for a fine if rather high-maintenance Grete. This recording
from Dirk Kaftan can be purchased fearlessly, and enjoyed with
the confidence that it’s one of the best available, and
the best and only on SACD.
Dominy Clements

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